Libya

Put that the Foreign Secretary had just said that a no-fly zone could go ahead without a UN resolution and asked if he was going off message, the Prime Minister’s Spokesman (PMS) said that he hadn’t seen the Foreign Secretary’s comments but presumed he had been referring to past precedents. Asked if the UN Council […]

Nick Griffin petition

Put that Nick Griffin from the BNP was delivering a petition to No 10 tomorrow and asked if the Prime Minister had been made aware of this in advance and how he felt about it, the PMS said that he wasn’t sure if the Prime Minister knew. People were entitled to deliver petitions to Downing […]

Sentencing Council

Asked if the Prime Minister was concerned about sentencing guidelines from the Sentencing Council that meant fewer people would be imprisoned for assault, the PMS said that the Sentencing Council was an independent body and it was responsible for setting out sentencing guidelines. Those guidelines were a point of departure for the judiciary, and it […]

Bahrain

Put that there had been calls for Prince William and Kate Middleton to keep the King of Bahrain off their wedding invite list, the PMS said that invitations to the Royal Wedding were a matter for the Palace, not the Government. original source.

Health Bill

Asked what the Prime Minister had meant at PMQs today when he talked about anti-cherry picking amendments’ in the Government’s health reforms, the PMS said that the Prime Minister had been talking about the fact that there would not be price competition in healthcare. The point about cherry picking was the idea that private sector […]

Libya

The Prime Minister’s Spokesman (PMS) said that there were further discussions in New York last night at the United Nations Security Council. We had decided we needed to move things onto the next stage, and following consultations with Lebanon, France, the US and others we had introduced the text of a further United Nations Security […]

Sentencing guidelines

Asked if the Prime Minister was concerned about sentencing guidelines that reduced the offence for someone who had physically attacked a police officer, the PMS said that the Sentencing Council was an independent body. It had set guidelines which were a point of departure for the judiciary when they were coming to judgements. Clearly our […]

Bahrain

The PMS said the Prime Minister had spoken to the King of Bahrain last night and expressed his serious concern at the deteriorating situation on the ground. He called for restraint on all sides and said that it was vital the Bahrain authorities responded through reform, not repression. The Prime Minister encouraged the King to […]

Japan

The PMS said that the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies met again yesterday afternoon to review the situation in Japan. The unanimous view of the group was that from the perspective of possible radiation dangers there was no need for UK nationals to evacuate the vicinity of Tokyo. Asked whether or not it was true […]

Unemployment

Asked for the Government’s response to unemployment figures out today, the PMS said that the figures were mixed. There was a rise in the International Labour Organisation measure, which was a cause for concern, but the numbers claiming Job Seekers’ Allowance were down. Employment had risen by 32,000, which was driven entirely by growth in […]